Fight
As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the town in warm hues, Mapi’s heart raced with anticipation. She couldn’t help but hope that tonight would be the night she found out if Ingrid wanted to be her girlfriend or was just looking for fun.
Her heart sped up when she saw Ingrid pull up and get out of the car that they had fixed yesterday. “ Hey Mapi,” Ingrid said, walking up to her, pulling her into a hug, pulling away, and pecking her lips.
“ Are you ready?” Mapi asked, seeing her nodded, giving her the ok to grab her hand leading her in the bar.Laughter and music filled the air as Mapi’s friends welcomed Ingrid with open arms.
“ Ingrid, this is Patri, Alexia, and Kika,” Mapi introduced her friends, pointing them out.
“ Everyone, this is Ingrid.”
“Welcome to the wild side!” Alexia exclaimed, pulling Ingrid into a playful hug. The other girls do the same.
“ Hey, everyone. It's nice to meet you,” Ingrid said
“ Well, Ingrid, what is your drink of choice?” Kika asked, walking towards the bar.
“ I will have a beer, and you can start me a tab,” Ingrid replied, reaching for her wallet to grab her card.
“ No, you're good. It's on Mapi tonight,” she looked at Mapi.
“ Get whatever you want on my tab, ok?” Mapi shrugs while walking toward their booth.
“ You can’t just pay for everything you have to let me pay at some point” she responded trying to sound mad but to tell you the truth Ingrid couldn’t remember the last time someone cared enough to pay for anything of hers.
“So, Ingrid, what do you think about dating a biker?” one of Mapi’s friends, Patri, asked innocently.
Ingrid’s cheeks flushed as she stammered, “Uh, I don’t know… I guess it depends on the person.”
Mapi’s heart leaped at the hint of interest in Ingrid’s response.“What kind of person would you be interested in?” Mapi asked, her voice steady despite the butterflies in her stomach.
Ingrid’s gaze shifted to Mapi, her heart racing.
“Someone adventurous, maybe? Who knows how to have fun,” she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
That was all Mapi needed to start planning in her head how she was going to ask Ingrid to be her girlfriend; it had to be perfect and romantic. She was brought out of her thoughts by Ingrid tapping her shoulder and asking if she was ok.
“ Yes, I'm good,” she responded, putting her arm around Ingrid's waist and bringing her closer. “Perfec,t actually.’’
“ Hey Mapi, how about a game of darts?” Alexia asked, pointing to the board. “Losers have to buy the next round.”
Smiling, she looked at the board then back at Alexia “ Your on” shaking her hand pecking Ingrid's cheek before following Alexia to the board.
But as the game went on, Mapi noticed a stranger—an overly confident guy—hovering near Ingrid. He kept leaning in, making jokes, and laughing a little too loudly. Mapi felt a surge of jealousy rise within her . She could see Ingrid’s discomfort as she tried to deflect his advances.
So she stepped in “Hey, you want to get some fresh air?” Mapi said getting in between them leaning in closer to Ingrid, desperate to rescue her from the situation.
“Uh, yeah, that sounds good,” Ingrid replied, relief washing over her face. “Excuse us.”
Once outside, Mapi took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of emotions swirling inside her.“I’m sorry about that guy,” she muttered.“He was being a total jerk.”
Ingrid smiled softly.“It’s okay. I’m used to it, I guess.”
“But you shouldn’t have to deal with that. You deserve to be treated with respect.” Mapi’s voice was firm, a protective edge creeping in.
“I appreciate that, Mapi,” Ingrid said, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. Leaning in for a kiss.
Before their lips met, the guy from the bar burst through the door, his eyes narrowing as he spotted them.“Hey, I was just talking to you!” he shouted at Ingrid, his tone aggressive.H e took a step closer, invading their space.
“Back off, man,” Mapi said, stepping in front of Ingrid, her biker instincts kicking in.“She’s not interested.”
The guy laughed mockingly, undeterred.“Oh, come on! Don’t be so jealous. She’s just being shy.”
At that moment, something inside Mapi snapped.She couldn’t stand by and watch someone disrespect Ingrid.“I said Back off!” With that, Mapi lunged at the guy, pushing him away from Ingrid.
The fight erupted quickly, fueled by Mapi’s protective instincts and the guy’s arrogance. Fists flew as Mapi landed punches, her heart racing—not just from the adrenaline but from the fierce need to protect Ingrid.
Once the dust settled and the bouncers intervened, Mapi found herself outside the bar, nursing a bruised knuckle and a black eye. Ingrid stood beside her, concern etched on her face.
“Are you okay?” Ingrid asked, her voice trembling slightly.
“I’m fine. Just a little scuffle,” Mapi said, trying to downplay the situation.But the truth was, she had never felt more alive, and it wasn’t just from the fight.The anger that had fueled her was born from a deeper emotion—her desire to protect Ingrid.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” Ingrid said, her admiration clear.
Mapi chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck.“I just couldn’t let him disrespect you like that.”
“I appreciate it, really,” Ingrid said, her eyes locking onto Mapi’s.” But I can handle myself.”
“I know you can,” Mapi replied, feeling a rush of vulnerability.“But I want to be there for you. I care about you, Ingrid.”
Ingrid’s expression softened, and Mapi could see the flicker of something deeper in her gaze.“I care about you too, Mapi, so as you are my hero, what would you like as your reward?” she joked, trying to lighten the mood.
“ Well I guess a kiss would help the pain if your offer.” Mapi said, playing along as Ingrid leaned, wrapping her arms around Mapis neck. The kiss slowed at first till it started to get heated. Mapi pulled away before she fell too deep.
“ We should get out of here” She told Ingrid.Mapi walked Ingrid to her car promising her she would stop by the library tomorrow.Ingrid kissed her goodbye asking her to text her when she got home getting a nod back as she pulled out of the parking lot.